Improvement in metronomes



l. A. HECKENBACH.

Metronomes- Patented Marcn4,1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.A

JOHN A. IIECKENBAGH, OF MAYVILLE, IVISCGNSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN METRQNOMES:a

Specilieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 136,435, dated March '-1, lll-712..

To all whom it ymay concern:

Be it known that I, J onN An. HEcKEN- BACH, of Mayville, in the county of Dodge and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Music Time-Indicator, of which the following is a specification In the accompanying drawing, Figure lis a front elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof taken on the line C C, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line K K, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a face view ot' the escapement wheel and concentric rings of pins g.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

This invention relates to a new instrument for keeping the time during musical performances or exercises; and consists in such an arrangement of clock-work, and connection thereof with an adjustable index-hand, that a suitable number of vibrations of a pendulum can be produced, and from the lpendulum a suitable number of strokes on a gong or bell. The pendulum vibrations are regulated by an adjustable slide on the pendulu m-stem, and serve, by means of cams on the pendulum-pivot, to vary the speed of the rotating escapementwheel, which wheel has projecting pins on one side for moving the clapper of the bell. The pins on the escapement-wheel are set in circles, with varying numbers in each circle 5 and the cla-pper can, by the aforementioned indexhand, be brought in line with either one of the circles, so that in a given speed of rotation of the escapement wheel the number of bell strokes can still be varied. This latter adjustment is for the purpose ot' giving the 6th, 4th, or other subdivisions of measure.

In the accompanying drawing, the letter A represents the containing-box ot' the instrument. Within the same is the clock-work B, whose train is worked by a spring-weight or other mea-ns, and serves to impart rotary motion to a disk or wheel, C. This disk is the escapement-wheel of thc clock-work. l) is the pendulum mounted upon a pivot, a, which pivot extends laterally through the trame-work, and upon this pivot are mounted two cams, I) b, which are notched and bea-r against the pins d that project in a circle from one face of the escapement-wheel C. The spring power applied to the escapement-wheel is, by the pins cl, caused to bear against the cams b, and serves to keep the pendulum in vibration. The pins d pass successively through the notches of the cams, thereby allowing the intermittent rotary motion ot' the escapementwheel. By means of a slide, c, which can be set up and down on the pendulum-rod, the vibrations of the latter can be regulated to produce a greater or less speed in the usual manner. The pendulum swings in front of a graduated index-plate, E, fully shown in Fic'. l, and the slide c, when set opposite the figures marked on said index, will cause the requisite number of vibrations-from forty to two hundred AandL eight per minutet0 be produced. The pendulum-stem projects, as usual, considerably above its pivot a, the slide e being on this upper portion. rThe pendu] uni-ball f, at the lower end of the pendulum-stem, can also be adjusted up and down, it' necessary, for regulating the operations with the utmost accuracy. 0pposite to the pins d project from the escapement disk U other pins g, which are arranged in concentric circles, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4. The outer circle of pins g contains more pins than that next to it 5 this againA more than the one nearer the center, dre., there being preferably four such circles of pins. a bell fastened to a slide or plate, H, which arranged at the side of the clock-work B, and which can be set up or down at will by connection with an index-hand, I, which is pivoted to the face of the frame or case A. A forked arm, n, extends from the pivot h of the index-hand, and straddles a pin, y1', or arm ot' the plate II, so that the latter will be set up and down whenever the index-hand I is swung on its pivot. G- is the clapper to the bell F.

' It is pivoted to the slideHand connected with a spring, j, which tends to throw it against the bell. From the pin l, by which the clapper is pivoted to the plate II, projects an arm or crank, Im., toward that face ot' the escapementdisk which has the pins g. In fact, the crank will be in the way oi' these pins g.

ly setting the slide II higher or lower by means ot' the index I, the crank m can be brought in line with either of the circles or' pins g, so that the vibrations of the clapper during a given number of vibrations of the pendulum can be regulated at will. Thus, it' the crank m is brought under the action of outermost circle of pins, which, say, contains eighteen pins, g, the clapper will be moved eighteen times during one rotation of the disk C; while if the crank is brought in action with the innermost circle of pins g, which has', say, six pins only, the clapper will be struck but sixtirnes during the same number of vibrations of the pendulum that formerly produced eighteen strokes by the bell. In this manner the vsubdivisions of measure to seconds, thirds,

is the adj ustability of the strokes of the bell i during a given number of pendulum 'vibrations.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters lat,d ent- 1. The `escapement-wheel CV provided with the pins d on one side and With the circles of pins g on the other side, as specited.

2. The combination of the pivot a and cams ib, with the escapementwheel G and pins d thereon, to operate substantially as herein dc- A scribed.

3. The slide H, clapper G, and bell F connected with each other, as set forth.

4. The index-hand I having the forked arm n and connected with the slide H to move the same up and down, as set forth.

5. The combination 4of the clapper G and f crank m with the escapement-Wh'eel C and. pins g thereon, substantially as specified;

6. A musical indicator provided WithA a bell l whose strokes diifer from the vibrationsof 'the pendulum in the desired ratio, as set forth. ,g 'JOHN AD. HECKENBACH'.

Witnesses: i v t CHRISTIAN BIRTH, ANTON HAERTLE. 

